Flexible hose coupling



March 30, 1943. w. A. MELSQM` FLEXIBLE HOSE COUPLING Filed Feb, fr, 1941 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 30, 1943 rLExiBLE nosa COUPLING Walter Arthur Mel'som, London, England, asslgnor to Bowden (Engineers) Limited, London,

England, a British company Y Application February 7, 1941, Serial No. 377,814

' In Great Britain April 11, 1940 6 Claims. (01.285--80 5 The present invention relates to improvements in flexible hose couplings of the kind in which a sleeve of material suited to contraction such as brass, duralumin, low carbon steel, orrphosphor bronze, clamps a flexible hose onto an inner rigid insert which may be of the same material, hereinafter termedV insert,V couplings of this kind being suitable for and more particularly-intended for use with medium Vandhigh pressure hoses such as are employed for the Vconveyance of gases, liquids, semi-solids pressure. Y

Hoses of exible material normally employed for medium and high pressure use, by which in general is meant medium pressures of from 500 to 2,000 lbs. per su.v inch and higher pressures up to 15,000 or 20,000 lbs. persq. inch, are generallir constructed of rubber or other resilient material reinforced byian embedded or inter` linedror inserted single layer or multiple layers of braiding, one or two such embedded orinter-V or viscousV substances under rate npressure zone which also acts Yas a throttleV lined layers generally being employed and the y ein In forming a coupling 4component for such hose, the end of the hose is usually inserted iter end of` the coupling, and the insert is i troduced into the bore of the hose, Where? the sleeve up to an end wall thereof at the off gradually towards the end of the insert there is a tendency for they rubber of theV hose to be forced out to some extent from the compressed 'I part, which alsovhas deleteriousy eiectsj.

One object of'this invention'isto reduce the liability for lthe hose to iiex about a part subjected toiintens'e pressure.

Another object of the presentl invention is to avoid an .abruptrelease of pressure from the zone of'intense pressure and to provide a ksepawhlchjrestricts the saidA tendency for the rubber to flow out. 1 f- Y l Another object of the invention is to provide separate pressure lzones and to ensure that extra y metalwill be available locally just where the primary pressure zone and the additional pres-l sure 1zone are required. .Y

In'erder that theinvention may be more readily understood we refer -to the `accompanying drawing in which Fig. lshows partly in sectionv the sleeve and insert united together and carrying a swivel "nutand Fig. 2 isva sectional View with the hose imposition, tneitop han ofthe- Y figure showingthe hose before being compressed and the lower halfshowing the conditionof the after the sleeve is radially contracted upon the Y hose by appropriate Vswaging or Acontracting methods so as to grip it powerfully between the sleeve and theinsert.

These couplings may be made fromfone or more pieces according to the methods of fixation and construction employed, but Whatever these methods may be, the successfulxati'on of the coupling to the hose is primarily dependent on creating a zone of intense pressure between the sleeve and the insert within which zone -the hose is powerfully gripped.

YI have found that if uniform andintensepressure is appliedl to the Whole lengthV of the hose gripped' between the sleeve andthe insert, so that flexure of the hose takes place ab'out'a' point subjected to such intense pressure, frequent` flexure of the hose about such zone of intense pressure causes the vulcanising union of the' inner Y rubber layers to the insertedbrading to break down and thus permit relative movement to take A place between these layers and the braiding which v to fau parts when the contraction of thev sleeveghas lbeen effected. The serratin'g of thesleeve and insert andthe form ofthe outer end of the insert shown 4inV Fig. 2 lis rather `different lfrom those v shown inl Fig. 1,"the coupling nut being :rotatably mounted on the insert in the mannerrde- Y in our copending applications .,Nos.

Y The sleeve comprises an integral local'n'externally thickened part 2 which I term the primary band and.; this band is swaged` orcontracted inwards to create a zone'of intense constriction l f The sleeve is* of `Vrcircumf erentially ycontinuous form and the enlargedor thickened primary. band has its maximum diameter situated medially of the-ends ofthe sleeve,rso that when the'sleeve A is contracted on the insert, preferably by radially closing dies, thisJband produces a primary'zoneV of intense pressure whose maximum is VproducedV medially of such ends. I also provide the sleeve `with va'seplate iIl-V .tegral externally thickened portion 5, of narrower width than the primary band and initially` of vlesser diameter than the first band, see Fig; 1.

This secondary band is of such a character A and is so located along the sleeve and nearer the end into which the hose is inserted that when contracted it will produce a lesser constriction approximately in line with the point or tail end of the insert, its greater compressive force being exerted upon the hoseend just before the end of-the insert'is reached. I prefer to form the secondary band as shown with a steep wall on the side towards the primary band.

The pressure zones are not exactly confined to v medially of such ends, said sleeve having an inthe lengths of the bands provided by the thickened portions, and the secondary zone may merge ltegralsecond thickened band separate from said f rst band, which Yproduces a separate zone of into the elongated pressure zone produced by the primary band, but nevertheless, produces a rise of pressure near to the end of the insert. y The primary band is preferably tapered off towards the secondary band and also towards' the outer end of the sleeve,`i. e., that nearest the joint.

The medialposition of the maximum zone of pressure permits of theow of rubber displaced by the intense primary pressure,`in the direction of `such outer end thusimproving the'joint and' limiting the flow towards the open end of the sleeve.V y l i The inner end'of the sleeve preferably terminates with a radius .or better still as shown with a tapering portion which is vflaredalnd this allows ofk the hoseto bendabout the sleeve without bearing upon a sharp edge of the sleeve and'therefore reduces the liability forv the hoseto rupture or abrade at this region. Such nare may be omitted in certain forms of couplings the subject .of the present invention where the inherentstiffness of the hose does not require precaution to taken against external abrasion, labrasion of the hose bore or damage to the reinforcing braiding being in general much more seriousin its effects.. Y 'I fnd'thatwhen as shown inthe'drawing, the secondary bandis producedby a locally .thickened part andthe sleeve is about at its thinnest secondary constriction whose maximum is less than'that of the rst zone, such second band being 'situate `around the insert and approxi- 1 mately opposite to the ende thereof.

A hose coupling component as in claim 1, in whichthe external diameter of the primary band and the external diameter of the secondary b and are equal.

3." A hose couplingY component suitable for use with medium or high pressure hoses comprising a flexible hose and al circumferentially continuous sleeve and aninsert between which said hose isV contracted and gripped, said sleeve being formed'with an integral thickenedband which has'its maximum thickness situated medially of the ends of the sleeve and which produces a primary zone of intense constriction medially of vsuch ends, lsaid sleeve having an integral second thickened band defining a steep external wall on each side of such band, theflare does not un; Y

duly distort in the swaging process. f The construction described `hsas lmany rvfurther advantages. Firstly it provides a lconsiderable thicknessof .sleeve material at the parts where the pressure is greatest thereby contributing to the strength of thecomponent. Secondlyit does Vnot involve complicated methods of manufacture,

and-;thirdly thesecondary" zone of pressure can be used to .check the .outward flow of the rubber when forming or completing Ythe primaiy pressure zone as'more particularly` described in mycopending application'Serial No. 396,397 filed ,JuneV v3, 1941, which method I prefer to employ inmaking the coupling according to .this invention.

Although Ixhave described twonswaging bands there maybe cases as depicted inFig. 3, in which itnis desirable to introduce one Vor more=further bands betweenv the aforesaid primary and secvondary bands, two such bands (i and] being shown, the pressure exerted lon the hose bythe seriesof bands yr'rreferably Yprogressively lessening in intensity from theprimary band 2 to the band f5 which encircles'the inner end of the insert. The

additinalext'ernally thickened. bands 6, 1 are initially of progressively les"`sfexternal diameter from the primary yband tor the" inner band `and when compressed produce with' the primary and l the innerband a succession of separate pressure rings decreasing in int'ensityfromthe priv maryv band to' the inneriband.

.Each bandmay be continuous `or may be subdivided into fa' plurality of bands. e

- wards the end of the sleeve remote from the second -thickened band.V

5. A hose couplingf'component suitable for use with medium or high pressure hoses comprisin7 a flexible hose and a 'circumferentially continflo'us sleeve and an insert between which said hose is contracted and gripped, 'said sleeve being formed' with an integral thickened band which has its maximum thickness situated medially of the ends of the sleeve and which-produces a primary zone of intense constriction medially ot such ends, said sleeve having an integral second vthickened band separate from'and of less thickness than said first band which` produces a separate "zoneof secondary constriction whosemaxit'- rnum is less than that of 'therst zone, such secohdV band being` situate around the insert and approximately opposite to thel end thereof; and the vinner end of the sleeve being iiared `beyond thesecond thickened band at least the main part ,of saidflare extending beyond the inner end of the insert. f 4

6. A hose coupling component suitable for use with mediumlor high pressure hoses comprising a flexible Vhose-and a circumferentially continuous sleeve andan insert between which'said hose is contracted and gripped, said sleeve be- 'ing formed with an` integral thickened band dialiy of such ends, said sleeve having an integral second thickened band separate from and of less thickness than said first band which produces a separate zone of secondary constriction whose maximum is less than that of the rst zone, such second band being situate around the insert and approximately opposite to the end thereof, said sleeve having at least one further integral thickened band separate from said prl- 

